Receptionist spells her way to glory

A part-time actress and law firm receptionist who correctly
spelled "juxtapose" became the Rogers Park adult spelling
champion Wednesday in an event that raised over $4,000 for an adult
literacy program.

Afterward, winner Erin Myers and her visiting father celebrated
with a bourbon.

The event, which drew more than 60 people from Chicago's North
Side, was the brainchild of nightclub manager David Meihaus, who
hosted the event at the Morseland club at 1218 W. Morse Avenue.

Proceeds went to benefit the Howard Area Community Center's adult
literacy program.

Contestants, who paid a $10 entry fee, were asked to spell randomly
selected words like "disguise" and "amoeba." All but seven were
eliminated in the first rounds. "Tonsillitis" took out one
contestant. "Decorticate" stripped another of her chance to
win.

Emcee James "Jazz" Anthony Zoccoli, a member of the Strawdog
Theater Company troupe, kept the pace brisk and the contestants in
line as "Fojammi" performed ballpark style keyboard
accompaniment.

Three Chicago public school teachers served as judges. Paul
Curtain, a special education teacher at Prosser Career Academy,
acted as timekeeper. Laura Westernvelt, a journalism teacher at
Amundsen High School, was the official spell checker. The bee's
official pronouncer was Saundra Hensel, a drama teacher at Amundsen
who relied on an enormous copy of Webster's Deluxe Unabridged
Dictionary, Second Edition.

Meihaus plans to make the spelling bee an annual event. He would
like to organize a citywide network of nightclubs to hold their own
spelling bees, culminating in a city championship.

"One in each of
the 50 aldermanic wards," he said. "It would be huge."